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Religion in Japan Unity and Diversity

Summary

In continuous print since 1969, this text has helped establish the treatment of Japanese religion as a unified worldview, offering a concise yet thorough look at the culture and history of the Japanese religion. This text helps students see Japanese religion as a whole, rather than as disconnected religious traditions. No technical knowledge of Japanese history, Japanese religion, or the Japanese language is required for understanding the material. JAPANESE RELIGION has been used in Japan and Europe, as well as in North America.

Table of Contents

Preface

vii

Table of Japanese Religious History

x

Map of Japan

xii

1 INTRODUCTION

1

(6)

Five Religious Strands

2

(1)

Unity and Diversity

3

(4)

2 PERSISTENT THEMES IN JAPANESE RELIGIOUS HISTORY

7

(14)

The Closeness of Human Beings, Gods, and Nature

7

(1)

The Religious Character of the Family

8

(3)

The Significance of Purification, Specific Rituals, and Amulets

11

(1)

The Prominence of Local Festivals and Individual Cults

12

(2)

The Pervasiveness of Religion in Everyday Life

14

(2)

The Intimate Bond Between Religion and the Nation

16

(1)

The Traditional wordview

16

(5)

I THE FORMATION OF JAPANESE RELIGION

21

(60)

3 THE PREHISTORIC HERITAGE

22

(9)

The Beginnings of Japanese Culture

23

(3)

The Evidence and Meaning of the Earliest Religion in Japan

26

(1)

The Religious Significance of Burial and the Dead

26

(1)

The Religious Significance of Fertility

27

(1)

The Religious Significance of Divine Descent

28

(3)

4 EARLY SHINTO

31

(10)

Mythological Materials and the Origins of Shinto

32

(3)

The Organization of Shinto: Priests and Rituals in Shrines

35

(3)

Distinctive Characteristics of Shinto

38

(3)

5 EARLY JAPANESE BUDDHISM: INDIAN INFLUENCE WITH CHINESE COLORATION

41

(11)

The Introduction of Buddhism as a Foreign Religion

42

(1)

Buddhism's Impact on the Court and the State

43

(2)

Buddhism as a State Religion

45

(2)

The Six Philosophical Schools of Nara Buddhism

47

(1)

The Sanron School

48

(2)

The Decline of Nara Buddhism

50

(2)

6 CONFUCIANISM AND TAOISM: CHINESE IMPORTATIONS

52

(14)

Confucianism: Explicit Chinese Influence on State and Society

53

(3)

Taoism: Implicit Chinese Influence on Beliefs and Rituals

56

(6)

Confucianism and Taoism as Japanese Traditions

62

(4)

7 FOLK RELIGION: RELIGIOSITY OUTSIDE ORGANIZED RELIGION

66

(9)

Aspects of Japanese Folk Religion

66

(3)

Folk Religion in Family, Village, and Occupation

69

(2)

The Individual and Folk Religion

71

(4)

8 INTERACTION IN THE FORMATION OF JAPANESE RELIGION

75

(6)

The Interaction of Religious Traditions

75

(1)

The Formation of a Distinctive Japanese Religious Tradition

76

(5)

II THE DEVELOPMENT AND ELABORATION OF JAPANESE RELIGION

81

(60)

9 THE DEVELOPMENT OF A JAPANESE BUDDHISM: SHINGON AND TENDAI

83

(15)

The New Buddhism of the Heian Period

84

(2)

Shingon: Esoteric Buddhism in Japan

86

(5)

Tendai:The Lotus Sutra, Proper Ordination for Monks, and Buddahood for All Humans